Sugar supply in East Coast restored

SEPANG: The shortage in sugar supply in the East Coast, which was caused by the temporary closure of the MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd sugar mills in Johor and Perai, Penang, has been restored, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub.

The factories were temporarily closed for Aidilfitri, but they resumed operations on April 25, he added.

The ministry, he said, was working closely with two local sugar manufacturers, namely MSM Malaysia and Central Sugars Refinery Sdn Bhd (CSR), to address the supply shortage.

“I hope residents in the affected states will not panic and be deceived by claims of a possible increase in the price of sugar,” he said at a press conference, adding that new sugar supply would be distributed to wholesalers and retailers from today, Bernama reported.

Based on media reports, residents in Kelantan claimed of sugar shortage in the state since April 22.

Kelantan KPDN director Azman Ismail recently said some 250,000kg of sugar were distributed to several supermarkets in the state.

In another development, Salahuddin said the maximum retail price for palm oil in 2kg, 3kg and 5kg bottles would remain at RM13.30, RM19.60 and RM30.90 per bottle respectively for the period from May 8 to June 7.

“In general, there was an increase in the price of crude palm oil in April compared to the previous month, which exceeded RM4,000 per tonne. This increase led to a rise in the retail price of cooking oil.

“However, so as not to burden the people and consumers, the government has agreed to maintain the price during the stipulated period,” he said.